Bacteria within the Vibrio genus have a huge impact on the biology of the earth, and especially on humans. A number of Vibrio spp. cause significant human disease via consumption of contaminated food and water, and many others cause disease in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, and even in corals, thus directly or indirectly affecting humans. November 12-15, 2017, we will be holding the conference ? ?Vibrio2017: The Biology of Vibrios? ? the seventh in a series of international conferences on the subject of the biology of Vibrios. This conference will build on the successes of the first six conferences held in Belgium, France, Brazil, Spain, Scotland, and France from 2005-2016, respectively. This conference will be held in the U.S. for the first time, geographically situated in Chicago for ease of travel for both domestic and international participants. The American Society for Microbiology is highly qualified and willing to organize this conference. The confirmed speaker list already includes a diverse set of scientists that is balanced for age, gender, and racial diversity, includes speakers from the US, Asia, and Europe, and covers topics across the spectrum of Vibrio physiology, ecology, and pathogenesis. We are seeking NIH support for this conference that most closely aligns with the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The requested funds from NIH will be utilized for three purposes: 1. To provide funds to increase the number of supported keynote speakers, in order to increase the scientific quality of the meeting, 2. To provide funds to defray the costs of audiovisual equipment rental for the conference, and 3. To offer additional travel awards for post-docs, graduate students, and undergraduate-level students whose abstracts are selected for presentation at the conference. This support from NIH will dramatically enhance the quality and accessibility of this conference to maximize attendance and ensure the participants gain useful knowledge that will ultimately assist to minimize the impact of Vibrios on the human population.